Biotic Portal and PsychoBOTANICA

Biotic Portal at Strawberry Creek is a project by poets Denise Newman and Hazel White based out of the UC Berkeley Botanical Garden, where they held open studio hours from October 2015 through June of 2016. During this time, they worked toward building an Index, a book-length catalog of conversations within and about the garden. The Index is a public poem, a collection where the collected materials are written and verbal exchanges between the poets, garden visitors, and garden staff. Since this project was inherently collaborative and formally open, it’s fitting that the poets chose to publish the Index in its entirety online via the Biotic Portal website.

During the month of January, Biotic Portal also takes shape as a multi-media installation at Artemis gallery at the Thick House Theater Art Building in San Francisco. Including art by Kija Lucas and Jean Tarantino, the exhibit PsychoBOTANICA opened on January 7, and is on view Sundays through February 5. It’s well worth a visit for Bay Area residents interested in poetry and ecology.

Visitors view the installation at the opening celebration.
The installation includes videos and text by Newman and White, played on iphones and a laptop.

For those unable to visit the gallery, many of the installation videos can also be found on the Biotic Portal website.